Hamburg, N.Y. (WBEN) - The "12 Best Days of Summer" are officially underway, as the 2026 Erie County Fair kicks off Wednesday from the Hamburg Fairgrounds.
The gates officially open at 11 a.m. on Wednesday for the 186th annual Erie County Fair, with festivities continuing through Sunday, Aug. 23 in the Town of Hamburg.
In her ninth year as CEO of the Erie County Agricultural Society, Jessica Underberg says the opening of the Erie County Fair every year is like waking up on Christmas morning.
"It's pretty exciting to watch it all come together," said Underberg in an interview with WBEN.
"I love the setup part. Our staff sits around the table for seven months every week for about an hour, and plans this event. I love watching their hard work and their creativity come together. I also love watching the guests come through the gate, and seeing their smiles and their wonder. And obviously I'm a 4-H kid and a dairy farm kid at heart. I love the livestock aspect."
When determining what to add or continue to provide for fairgoers every year, Underberg says there is quite a process that goes into it.
"We go to conferences, we go to fairs across the world. It's not just about the fairs in our neighborhood, it's not just about the fairs in our state. I think I have a running list, I've probably been on 50 or 60 different fairs and fairgrounds. I'm kind of crazy on vacations and things like that, I even go to fairs. But it's neat to look at how other people do things. You get ideas all the time - big fairs, small fairs, it doesn't matter. So that is part of our development too: Going to conferences and finding out how other people do things," Underberg said. "You can find ideas no matter where you are, and we're not always the best at everything, and knowing that. So getting out there and learning from other fairs, going to our trade association conferences and things like that."
Underberg notes that the Erie County Fair is widely regarded as one of the most esteemed fairs in the country and the world, so it's important to keep looking for new ways to keep people intrigued.
"We get a lot of visitors from outside of the state, from outside of the country, that come here because they hear the great things about the Erie County Fair," she said.
With the changing times, Underberg feels it's important not to get caught up in what used to work at the Fair, or what used to not work and sticking to a particular mindset.
"I'll give you an example: We don't accept cash at the gate anymore. That is for multiple reasons. Part of the reason is because you cannot simply get the cash from the bank like you used to. That is somewhat a regional thing, and not. I have a friend that runs the Virginia State Fair who called me the other day, and they're just going to cashless now. She said, 'Jess, I just can't get the cash I need from the bank anymore.' And I said, 'I know. We went through that in 2021.' And we started going cashless then. So in some cases, we're ahead of the curve. And in some cases, they're calling us saying, 'How did you do this?'" Underberg noted.
And every year, there's new ideas that may be more outside that box that get tested out to see how well they can work.
"We sat around the table this year and talked about what we're going to do with this year's fair. And one of our newest employees said, 'Hey, can we shoot fireworks off to music?' And a couple of our staff members right off the bat said, 'No, we can't do that.' I saw the look of defeat on that employee's face, and I said, 'Wait a minute, let's think through this. What if it's a 'Yes? How?'' We're going to do that. On opening night, we are going to shoot fireworks offset to patriotic music, and it's just because a new employee challenged us to think about it a little bit differently," Underberg said.
So what's also set to be new at the 2026 Erie County Fair?
"We have a sand sculpture next to the racing pigs [Swifty Swine], that's with Eric Jones. For those who don't know his name, he's the guy who does all the Bills sculptures out of snow and things like that," Underberg said. "That'll be super great to see during the Fair, and he's going to build it as he goes along. So you won't be able to see the final, final, final until towards the end of the Fair."
Among the new elements Underberg is excited for people to check out is the new Cork and Brew on the Avenue of Flags. The facility was totally rebuilt and redone for fairgoers this year.
On the entertainment side of things, Underberg is excited for a number of new pieces to keep fairgoers busy.
"The strolling boombox, one of the most coolest walk-around entertainment pieces I think I've seen in a long time. And that's one of those things that you catch at a trade show, when you're out at conferences, you're like, 'Where's this guy coming from?'" she noted. "Two entertainment pieces on the Family Entertainment Stage that are so cool. First half of the fair, Patrick Tobin is a Sinatra impersonator, so 'Ol' Blue Eyes' music coming out of the Family Entertainment Complex. The second six days is a group called the Catnip Junkies, a New Orleans-style street band, and they are fantastic - high energy, such a great group of folks."
And, of course, there are a number of features returning to the Fair lineup in 2026, including the miniature golf course.
"Make sure folks get into the mini golf exhibit. It's free to play a couple rounds of mini golf here at the Erie County Fair, and those holes are all built by our community members," Underberg noted. "The only stipulation was it had to revolve around the Erie County Fair and, of course, agriculture."
Another returning event to the Erie County Fair this year will be the third annual Celebrity Classic.
"This year, we're going to be showing pigs Tuesday night at 8 o'clock. That is where the media gets the chance to show animals, and this year, we're adding a class for Fair celebrities, let's call it. That's going to be a new addition, new fun," Underberg added.
And, of course, having her agricultural background, Underberg strongly urges fairgoers to spend some time in the animal barns and talk to the youth about their projects, the care of their animals, and what they love about their projects.
"These kids learn that sometimes you can work really, really, really hard and still walk out in last place. They learn hard work, work ethic, science, math, teamwork. They learn things that other parts of our world are not learning, and they learn them at a very young age," Underberg said. "I've watched 7-year-old kids run skid steers. I've watched them give immunizations to livestock better than most nurses and doctors. These kids are learning skills that will blow your socks off. It is just a neat piece of this fairgrounds, and any fairgrounds. It's one of the coolest parts of the fair."
More information about the 2026 Erie County Fair can be found at ECFair.org, or by downloading the Erie Fairgrounds app.
